To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and present a panoramic view of the country's great journey, the 24-episode documentary "On the Road" focuses on the great achievements and valuable experiences of people of all ethnic groups in the socialist revolution, construction and reform over the past 70 years. It also recounts the touching stories and important events of the country since 1949.

The sixth episode of the series looks at how China managed to build its own industries and a national economy against the odds.

The establishment of the basic system of socialism in China, a country with a population of 600 million at the time, was an event that shook the world. The whole nation was united as one in a demonstration of passion and vigor, devoted to constructing their socialist country.

Oil is the lifeblood of industry. The rapid development of industry was creating an urgent demand for more oil. The Western countries were continuing to impose their economic blockade. They claimed that China had little by way of oil reserves, and that the oil shortage would strangle China's industrial development.

But the Chinese people refused to be cowed. Geologists and young prospectors crossed vast wastelands and trudged over mountains and rivers in search of oil.

Geologist Li Siguang had returned to China from overseas in 1950 and was appointed Minister of Geology. At the end of September 1959, the first promising oil well was drilled by a prospecting team in Zhaozhou, Heilongjiang Province, on the northeast China plain.

It was the eve of the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The oilfield was named Daqing, meaning grand celebration.

In 1960, the CPC Central Committee approved an urgent plan to mobilize 40,000 people to participate in what was called the Daqing Oil Battle.

The conditions, in which they worked, were harsh. They lacked proper equipment, and the roads were poor. They faced severe shortages of water and electric power. The very survival of the tens of thousands of people, who flocked to this barren wasteland, became a major issue.

Wang Jinxi, the leader of the No. 1205 drilling team, had earned the nickname "Iron Man." Confronted with a lack of transport, Wang and his team relied on their own manpower to convey 60 tons of drilling equipment to the site.

However, a build-up of pressure underground meant that when the second oil well was 700 meters deep, there was a blowout. Realizing the danger, Wang leapt into the alkaline cement slurry, and mixed it, using his body. In this way, he and his men sealed the blowout.

In 1963, after three years of hard effort, crude oil production at the Daqing Oilfield reached almost 4.4 million tons, accounting for over two thirds of the national output.

On December 2, 1963, at the fourth session of the second National People's Congress, Premier Zhou Enlai made a highly significant announcement: "China is now self-sufficient in oil."

In those years of burning passion, the country's vast rural areas also witnessed miracles.

Amid the rumble of drilling and blasting, people's thoughts turned to Linxian County in Henan Province, lying to the south of the Taihang Mountains.

There, a canal among the cliffs hundreds of meters above the ground would divert water from the Zhanghe River to Linxian County. The Zhanghe-Linxian Water Diversion project is known as the Red Flag Canal.

No one could have anticipated how tough it would be, digging an 8-meter wide, 4.3-meter deep main canal in the hard sandstone. With a rope tied around the waist, people would leap down the mountainside. Clinging to the cliffs like limpets, they'd drill blast holes. The slightest mistake could have cost them their lives at any moment.

The people of Linxian County were determined to reshape nature. Working among the imposing Taihang Mountains, they created a 1,500-kilometer long "river in the sky," otherwise known as the Red Flag Canal.

Finally, the Linxian people achieved their dream. They had ended their long history of drought.

The national economy was developing, based on agriculture and led by industry.

In just 20 years, the People's Republic of China succeeded in establishing an independent and comprehensive industrial system and national economy. This laid the foundation for the development of a modern economy.

On February 21, 1972, Mao Zedong met U.S. President Richard Nixon in Beijing. The international landscape was about to be transformed. 

Six days later, China and the U.S. signed the Joint Communique, beginning the normalization of bilateral relations.

The blockades imposed on China by the Western countries for over 20 years ended. By the end of 1976, China had established diplomatic relations with 110 countries, playing a more active and important role in international affairs.